What is a standard drink of alcohol?

The challenge for a consumer is to learn how much ethanol is in a “drink”, a “unit” or a “standard drink”. The measure differs between countries, depending on culture and tradition. On average, they contain between 8 and 13g of ethanol across Europe. This is why we recommend you to visit your national consumer information website(s) and use the “drinks calculator” to assess how much alcohol is in your favorite drinks.

Just to give you an idea, 10g of ethanol equates to the following drinks:

Ready-to-drink (alcohol mixed with soft drinks) at 5% vol. which are usually served in bottles of 275 ml equate to 11 g.

Watch out at home or at friends’ house as servings tend to be more generous and glass sizes bigger. Also, try and avoid serving a glass that is not empty as it is harder to keep tabs on how much you’re drinking.

How and when you drink – such as pacing yourself and drinking with food – is equally important. Try to drink water or soft drinks between alcoholic ones and eat either before or while drinking.